We Begin at the End
Crime Novel of the Year Award Winner 2021
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
*THE THEAKSTON'S OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2021*
*WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR*
*WINNER OF THE NED KELLY INTERNATIONAL AWARD*
A GUARDIAN BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR
An EXPRESS BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR
An i BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR
A MIRROR BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A WATERSTONES THRILLER OF THE MONTH
READ THE BOOK EVERYONE IS CALLING A MASTERPIECE.
'A beautifully written mystery, packed with unforgettable characters' JANE HARPER
'An accomplished and moving story of crime, punishment, love and redemption' GUARDIAN
For fans of Jane Harper's The Dry comes a powerful novel about the lengths we will go to keep our family safe. This is a story about good and evil and how life is lived somewhere in between.
Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer.
Now, he's been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven, California. Not everyone is pleased to see him. Like Star Radley, his ex-girlfriend, and sister of the girl he killed.
Duchess Radley, Star's thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer, part-protector to her younger brother, Robin - and to her deeply troubled mother. But in trying to protect Star, Duchess inadvertently sets off a chain of events that will have tragic consequences not only for her family, but also the whole town.
Murder, revenge, retribution.
How far can we run from the past, when the past seems doomed to repeat itself?
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT WE BEGIN AT THE END:
'Magnificent . . . an instant classic, a West Coast Where the Crawdads Sing . . . a special, vital novel. I'm grateful to have read it' A J FINN
'Surely destined to conquer the world' RUTH JONES
'A magnificent crime novel. It deserves to win a hatful of awards. A BIG hat. Consider me a major fan' MARK BILLINGHAM
'So beautifully written' LYNDA LA PLANTE
'Incredible writing, characters so brilliantly drawn they jump off the page. Outstanding' BA PARIS
'I LOVED this book . . . This is a book to be read and re-read and an author to be celebrated' LOUISE PENNY
'A stunning and heartbreaking book - will keep you gripped until the last moving page' CLAIRE MCGOWAN
'An exceptionally beautiful and accomplished crime novel' ALI LAND
'One of the best books I've ever read' FIONA CUMMINS
'An absolute masterclass in crime writing and story-telling' JO SPAIN
'One of the year's best crime reads' VASEEM KHAN
'One of my favourite books of all time' M. W. CRAVEN, winner of the CWA's Gold Dagger Award
'A masterpiece of storytelling with clever twists and an ending to knock you sideways' CANDIS MAGAZINE
'This heart-rending story . . . is among the most powerful and moving I have read in years' DAILY MAIL
'Cements Whitaker's status as one of the most talented authors writing today' HEAT MAGAZINE
'Masterly novel' SUNDAY EXPRESS
'A dark yet painfully human tale that is impossible to forget' CRIME MONTHLY
'Beautifully written and deeply moving' SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB
'A gorgeous, crystalline novel' JEANINE CUMMINS, author of AMERICAN DIRT
'Heartbreaking and profound, this is my thriller of the year' MIRROR
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set largely in 2005, this superb thriller from Whitaker (Tall Oaks) examines the repercussions of a fatal accident decades earlier on the residents of Cape Haven, a tourist town on the California coast. At 15, Vincent King was sent to a men's prison for hitting and killing seven-year-old Sissy Radley while joyriding. Now, 30 years later, Vincent is being released. His childhood friend, Walker—Cape Haven's police chief—hopes that Vincent, and the town, can finally begin healing. But soon after Vincent's return, Star Radley—a single mother and Sissy's older sister—is found murdered in her home. With Vincent as the prime suspect, Chief Walker and Duchess, Star's 13-year-old daughter and self-proclaimed outlaw, each launch their respective quests for the truth. Powered by extraordinarily deep character development and an impressively intricate plot, this novel is simultaneously a murder mystery, a love story, and a heartbreaking tragedy. The existential agony is palpable throughout, but so, too, is the hope at the end. Whitaker has upped his game with this emotionally charged page-turner.
Customer Reviews
We begin at the end
Read in two days. Couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. Phenomenal writer. I didn’t think Tall Oaks could be topped but he did it again.
Love this
Wow what a great read, could not put down read it through the night. Such a sad story sometimes jubilant. Must find more books from this Author.
An emotionally charged beautiful gripping story
I loved this book it wrenched my heart and absorbed me completely. Excellent story and characters.